Melktert

Ingredients

Pastry

• 200 gplain flour
• 100 gbutter, cold
• 50 gsugar
• 1egg yolk
• 2 tbspcold water
• a pinch of salt

Custard

• 1 litrewhole milk
• 1cinnamon stick
• 4eggs
• 150 gsugar
• 50 gcornflour
• 30 gplain flour
• 40 gbutter
• 1 tspvanilla
• a pinch of salt

To finish

• ground cinnamon, for dusting

Directions

1. Rub the cold butter into the flour, sugar and salt until it looks like breadcrumbs, then bind with the yolk and water. Chill the pastry 30 minutes, then roll it thin and line a 24 cm tin.
2. Roll it thinner than you would for any other tart. The pastry is a container, not a feature, and a thick base overwhelms the custard. Whisk the eggs, sugar, cornflour, flour and salt together in a bowl until completely smooth.
3. Remove the cinnamon stick and pour the hot milk into the egg mixture in a thin stream, whisking constantly. Hot milk poured in all at once scrambles the eggs, and there is no rescuing a curdled custard.
4. Return everything to the pan and cook over a medium heat, whisking without stopping, until it thickens. Let it come to a boil and bubble for a full minute. Cornflour only reaches full thickening power at boiling point, and a custard pulled off early sets soft and weeps water into the pastry.
5. Whisk hard as it thickens, especially around the base and the corners of the pan. Take it off the heat and beat in the butter and vanilla. Pour the hot custard into the baked shell and level the surface.
6. Dust the top thickly with ground cinnamon while the custard is still hot and wet. Dust it while it is wet so the cinnamon sticks. Cool it completely, then chill at least 3 hours until firmly set.
7. Serve it cold, cut into wedges. It is a fixture of South African church bazaars, farm stalls and family tables, and everyone has an opinion about the right pastry.

Technique

• A crustless version, baked in a dish, is common and equally traditional.
• The custard should be soft and silky, holding a cut but not firm like a set jelly.
• It is best on the day it is made, because the pastry softens overnight.

Substitutions

• Ready-made shortcrust pastry, rolled thin.
• All cornflour and no wheat flour in the custard, for a silkier set.

Variations

• Baked crustless, in a pie dish.
• In a pressed biscuit crumb base.
• With a splash of brandy in the custard.

History

Dutch settlers brought custard tarts to the Cape in the seventeenth century; the local version thinned the pastry and dusted it with cinnamon.

Frequently asked questions

What is Melktert?

Melktert is a dessert from South Africa: silky cinnamon-dusted milk custard tart. Dutch settlers brought custard tarts to the Cape in the seventeenth century; the local version thinned the pastry and dusted it with cinnamon.

How long does Melktert take to make?

Melktert takes 30 min plus 3 hr chilling of preparation and 40 min of cooking. The recipe makes 10 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Melktert?

Yes, within limits. Ready-made shortcrust pastry, rolled thin. All cornflour and no wheat flour in the custard, for a silkier set.